Man accused of DWI faces more charges

A Gastonia man accused of being involved in a DWI wreck that injured two people on a motorcycle now faces additional charges.

Eric Matthew Brown, 35, had two felony charges of serious injury by vehicle added to the DWI charge he already faced in the Oct. 1 wreck at The intersection of Union New Hope and Union Roads.

Police say Jeffrey Thomas Coffey, 47, and Patty Kay Lear, 47, were riding on a 2011 Harley-Davidson motorcycle when Brown, driving a 2006 Honda Civic, went left of the centerline and hit them head on. Both Coffey, from Belmont, and Lear, from Gastonia, were transported to CaroMont Regional Medical Center and then later flown to Carolinas Medical Center.

Coffey, who was driving the motorcycle, suffered an amputated foot, a broken pelvis and other fractures and lacerations as a result of the wreck. Lear also suffered a broken pelvis and other fractures and lacerations, police say.

Police say speed did not seem to be a factor in the wreck and both motorcyclists were wearing helmets.

Brown registered a 0.11 on a blood-alcohol test after the wreck. North Carolina law considers a driver impaired with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or above.

With the most recent charges Brown was booked into jail around 9:45 p.m. Sunday under a $5,000 bond, but he later posted the bond around 11 p.m.

Brown declined to comment on the charges on Monday.

You can reach Alyssa Pressler at 704-869-1819 or Twitter.com/AlyssaPress71.